


And Introducing Dan Sterling as the Arch Nemesis

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-12
Updated: 2006-10-12
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15115928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: I stayed in last night and cooked.  Listened to Neil Diamond on AM radio and sang along.





	And Introducing Dan Sterling as the Arch Nemesis

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Margaret reached over to answer the phone, laying her tattered Alex Cross novel next to her on the bed.

“Hello.”

“How is the heatwave treating you?”

She smiled at the sound of Bruno’s voice. He’d come to town for Brian’s second birthday a few weeks ago but they had not talked much since. He called almost every evening to say goodnight to his son; extra conversation was not always possible. This last time he was in DC Margaret was proud of herself. They did not wind up in bed together. Chuck E. Cheese, rowdy kids, and other things factored in but she was still proud. She wanted him that was for sure, she always did. Her life was changing though and those carnal urges no longer held precedence. Now if she could just get them to go away. It had been 6 years and they had not gone away…had not even diminished.

“The AC is holding up to the serious assault. Brian is a bit irritable; he gets a lot like daddy when its hot.” She laughed. “By the way, he lives and breathes for that stuffed gorilla. I can barely get it away from him to take a bath. He named him Munky. Creative, huh?”

“My son is a genius and I want him to have a piece of me when I can't be there. I wanted to call and say goodnight to him but…”

“Its OK. He was a bit worn out tonight; took a tumble playing in the yard this afternoon.”

“Is he OK? Marnie, why didn’t you call me?”

“You want a phone call for every booboo? That is not plausible.”

“I don’t care. If he is hurt, I want to be as close as I can be. Do we have a deal?”

“Yeah. Have you been very busy?”

“Midterm war chests are growing and the work is coming in from both sides of the political aisle. The Republicans want to keep their stronghold but I think the House is up for grabs. If Haffley…”

“What? If Haffley what?”

“I don’t want to talk about politics…I did that shit all day. How are you Margaret?”

“Good, working hard and being a mom. I um, I even found time for a bit of a social life. What about you, are you seeing anyone special?”

“I'm pretty busy. It’s not as if I am a hopeless romantic or something. Its not as if I'm looking. I stayed in last night and cooked. Listened to Neil Diamond on AM radio and sang along.”

“Tell me you're joking.” Margaret replied laughing.

“Why?”

“That doesn’t sound like the Bruno I know.”

“You know I can't be pigeonholed; I have a lot of different sides. I had the opportunity to go out last night but I chose not to. My blood pressure was a bit high at my last physical and I don’t have time to be out of commission. I start traveling heavy on Tuesday.”

“Are you alright? Do you feel OK?”

“Yes mother, I do. Hey, I thought I would come to DC this weekend and spoil my boy rotten. I thought I could spoil his mother too.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Good. You and I…”

“I have plans Sunday afternoon.” She interrupted him and apologized. “Brian though, he is going to be so excited to see his daddy. He wants you all to himself anyway.”

“Yeah, I'm excited about seeing him too. You spend too much time in both roles; you could use a day off. Going out on the town with those wild girlfriends of yours?”

Margaret cleared her throat but said nothing. She was quiet for so long that Bruno thought he lost the connection. He called her name twice before she came back to him.

“What happened? I thought I lost you. This piece of shit cell phone has a tendency to…”

“I'm seeing someone Bruno.”

“I'm sorry?”

“I am seeing someone Bruno. I have been for some time now.”

“What is some time now?”

“Mid-May.”

“May! And when the hell were you going to tell me about this?”

“I don’t know. You do not tell me everything you are doing and my love life is personal. You're not my father, my parole officer, or my lover.”

The last one really stung and Bruno unleashed his anger.

“Are you fucking him? Are you fucking him with my son around?”

“Go to hell Bruno! You have no right to speak to me in that tone.”

“I don’t want this hump anywhere near my son, do you hear me?”

“You are insane if you think you control this house or my life. Where do you think you get off?”

“I cannot believe you're doing this.”

“What? The same thing you always do. Oh, maybe you mean moving on. How long did you think I would be available for you? I'm not a toy Bruno; you can't play with me until something better captures your attention.”

“I have never…”

“Don’t you dare say it. You would’ve done it this weekend. You would have come, talked sweet, got what you wanted, kissed your son and left. Tell me that I'm wrong.”

“I don’t use you like that. I have never done anything you didn’t want me to Marnie.”

“Yeah, because I gotta tell you its great to be a part-time piece of ass for your baby’s daddy whenever he can make it to town. It does wonders for a girl’s ego.”

“How often is Mr. New Guy pumping your ego?”

“Go to hell!”

She slammed the phone down but held the tears at bay. The conversation went a bit worse than she thought it would. Margaret knew Bruno would be pissed; he was possessive. Not dangerously so…she did not fear him. He was a typical man, thinking she would sit around in patient chastity while he hit every socialite on the Upper East Side. Then she could be everything he needed when he remembered she was there. Margaret hated to think of Bruno that way because she knew there had to be something more. She did not intend to die of old age while he searched for it.

There were plenty of smart, attractive, attentive men in DC. It was not as if she were a dating expert, but by sheer logic and a little algebra, Margaret was bound to meet some of them. Dan Sterling was a nice man. He listened to her, she liked his smile, and he did not cringe when he found out she had a toddler at home. He was ready to either add Brian to their outings or stay away from him until his mother was ready. That was her favorite part about Dan…her feelings came first.

He did not mind sitting through her favorite films or dancing to the songs she liked. Though sex with him would never touch Bruno, his affection for her was obvious. He liked John Lennon and James Patterson, and his ruddy good looks reminded her of the boys she never had the confidence to ask out in high school. He was tall, with a slight Southern accent that always made her smile. Who knew if it was going to turn serious?

Their work schedules and her caring for Brian usually meant they only saw each other once a week. Still, it was obvious that Dan was smitten and looking to take it to the next level. Margaret planned to introduce him to Brian as soon as they hit the six-month mark. It was close and she and Dan were only getting closer. Just how close she was not sure.

Margaret was sure that Bruno was not allowed to interfere. He was Brian’s father and would always be a part of her life but he made the decision a long time ago not to run the extra mile. It was time for her to cut ties…stick to the original plan of just being friends. She would not belittle Dan by treating him as the second string to a guy who never stepped up. The phone rang again and Margaret looked at the clock. It was after ten; Dan said he would try to call after work.

“Hello.”

“You’ve never hung up on me before.”

“I wish I could say you haven't been a jerk before but that’s not true. What do you want Bruno?”

“I don’t want you to be mad at me.” he said.

“Fine.”

“Marnie…”

“Don’t do this OK? We can't go down this road a million more times. I have been doing it on and off for a lot of years; I've decided to get off the train.”

“Yeah. So, what is this guy’s name?”

“Dan Sterling. He is the Chief of Staff for Senator Fletcher of Virginia. We met at the Canadian State Dinner.”

“Hmm. Is he nice?”

“Yeah, he really is. I like him a lot.”

“Alright then. Look I just wanted to call back and make sure we are alright. I did not mean to get so angry.”

“OK. I have to go.”

“We are not OK Margaret. I can hear it in your voice.” He said.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.”

“No.” her voice was firm. “It doesn’t Bruno. I'm going to tell Brian that you'll be here on Sunday.”

“I will definitely be there. I…goodnight Marnie.”

“Goodnight.”

She hung up the phone and just lay staring at the ceiling. Letting go, she was letting go…she had to let go.

***


End file.
